The present invention relates to portable devices mountable in an interior automotive compartment for holding beverage containers.
Those who commute by automobile often prefer the benefit of carrying a beverage, such as hot coffee, a soda or lemonade, with them during their travels to both maintain their hydration and interrupt the monotony of travel. In recognition of this desire, many efforts have been made throughout the years to provide a satisfactory beverage container for use by the commuter. Examples include trays to straddle the center console of an automobile and configured with upwardly opening openings for receipt of a cup, glass or bottle. Other efforts have led to the provision of covered cups or containers configured with openable discharge ports through which the hydrating liquid can be drawn. Many commuters, however, prefer a holder which will conveniently receive a cup or bottle into which the liquid is originally dispensed or stored. Some holders have been proposed which are in the form of a thermally insulative holder which telescopes over the exterior of a cup or bottle to be grasped by the user and to insulate the beverage so as to maintain its temperature. These devices, however, are not typically stable for holding the beverage in a stable position. Thus the driver or passenger is forced to incur the risk of securing the holder in his or her lap. Such a risk can pose great danger to the driver, particularly when hot liquids are contained in the beverage container. This risk is acute when a standard shift automobile is being driven, requiring repeated manipulation of the foot and knees of the operator. In recognition of these shortcomings, holders have been proposed configured with a particular wedge shape so as to be complementally received between the legs of a driver and configured on its bottom with an upwardly and forwardly sloping surface to complement the typical upward and forward slope of an automotive seat. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,216 to Kinder. Such devices, while providing some stability for the holder, are not totally satisfactory since the driver must concentrate on holder his or her legs still and in a particular position to safely hold a cup against tilting which may cause spillage of the contained hot coffee or the like.
Other drink container holders have been proposed which include a ring suspended from a pliable hanger which may be bent to different positions for hanging over differently shaped objects, such as the side window glass of an automobile. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,400 to Jasmagy, Jr. These devices have not enjoyed particular commercial success since their successful use is dependent on locating an object in an automobile which is properly shaped for receipt of the hanger and which is located for convenient access of the beverage by the driver or passenger.
Other efforts to provide a stabilized beverage container holder have led to the proposal of a cylindrical tube configured with a tongue projecting laterally from the bottom wall thereof to be releasably received in the crack formed between the bottom and back of an automobile seat. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,598 to Greene. Such devices, while providing some stability, suffer the shortcoming that they are of limited utility at different locations in the passenger cabin and are not practical for use in the front seat when both the driver and passenger seats are occupied.
Prior efforts have led to the development of holders having stems for receipt in automotive cup holder sockets of a conventional size and themselves configured with a cavity for receiving an oversized holder. Examples of such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 380,650 to Norris, No. 5,676,340 to Rubnau and U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,741 to Gustafson. While acceptable for mounting in a conventional cylindrical beverage receptacle, such devices will not serve the purpose of mounting in polygonal compartments such as a counsel compartment or door pocket to be wedged in place and held in position in such compartments not typically intended to mount beverage containers.
Thus, there exists a need for a portable beverage container which may be securely mounted in a console compartment or door pocket of the automobile for positively holder a beverage container in an upright position for easy access by the driver or passenger.
The present invention is characterized by a beverage container holder having an upright block or body formed with an upwardly opening container-receiving bore and formed with a downwardly projecting stem polygonal in horizontal cross-section and having a dimension to substantially fill a corresponding dimension in a polygonal door pocket or console in the interior of a car.